News & Commentary Straight from Think HQ

Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest gave $400 million to charity today, the single largest philanthropic donation by a living person in Australian history.
Anna Spraggett, Think HQ Account Director, hopes it’s a sign of times to come.

There was a lot of attention on Andrew ‘ Twiggy’ Forrest today when he announced he was giving away $400 million to tackle cancer research, Indigenous disadvantage, the elimination of modern slavery and education.
He was, after all, flanked by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who applauded his donation as a “gift to humanity”, and Opposition leader Bill Shorten. It’s harder to get higher company.

It’s a positive sign that Forrest’s gift has been treated so positively, and his message, that everyone should “give what you can, if it isn’t money then time is just as valuable,” is bang on.

It shows that Australia is moving in the right direction. This gift is important and people are talking about it. The more open we are about this, the better....

We’ve combed through the Federal Government’s Community Business Partnership's new 2016 Giving Australia report released this month, to share with you some of our top takeaways and recommendations to help your NFP grow in the new year.

Explore digital giving

The report finds that the most effective ways to ask for a donation are through door knock appeals, telephone, mail or letterbox drop, and street fundraising. The least effective is TV.

Though not necessarily a substitute for other methods, online technology that makes giving easier for the donor is on the rise, and can be a valuable tool to support a NFP’s fundraising.

An increasing number of donors are engaging with crowdfunding technologies as they can directly engage with the cause they care about. NFPs should explore digital fundraising tactics, including online campaigns that utilise established crowdfunding platforms.

Keep your donors in the loop

Outcome reporting is important to donors, but they just don’t just want...

In December last year, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) released its 2014 report into the financial performance and sustainability of the Australian charitable sector. The report - produced in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact, and the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales - revealed an extremely diverse and growing sector, with more than 38,000 registered charities currently operating within a $103 billion dollar industry.

Key insights of the report include:

SIZE AND LOCATION:

Around one in five Australian charities are considered as ‘large’, with an annual income of $1 million dollars or more. Some 22 per cent of ‘large’ charities reported incomes over $10 million dollars. Two thirds of all Australian charities are smaller charities - with an annual income of less than $250,000. NSW and Victoria dominate the charitable...

Chances are you’ve probably heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC), the viral phenomenon that raised over $100 million internationally for ALS/MND research, all by getting people to tip buckets of ice-cold water over their heads.

In Australia, the Ice Bucket Challenge was championed by Laugh to Cure MND, a charity founded by Pat and Angie Cunningham earlier this year. The pair was also behind the first Ice Bucket Challenge World Record attempt, which took place at Etihad Stadium on 22 August.

Think HQ was lucky enough to work with the Laugh to Cure MND team to help promote the World Record attempt – managing official social media accounts throughout the campaign, and securing significant media coverage in major metropolitan news outlets, including The Herald Sun, Melbourne mX, 7News, Channel 10’s The Project, and 3AW radio.

Now that the steady stream of IBC participants has slowed to a trickle, it’s the perfect time to catch up with Pat and Angie, take a look back on the...

With headlines making a recent negative swing, a rare good news story caused pause for reflection in the Think HQ office this week.

New research has indicated Australians might be getting kinder. Yep, that’s right – findings suggest that the younger generation, so often categorised as self-indulgent and uncharitable, is actually taking part in acts of kindness more frequently than their older counterparts.

And that’s music to our ears. As an agency committed to projects of substance, often to achieve positive social change, it’s always been our contention that positivity is powerful. We’re lucky to work with an array of talented and impassioned clients, campaigns and communicators, and we’re very aware that kindness plays a big role in the work we produce for them.

Recently, as part of the Victorian Government’s Support Small Business Day 2014 campaign, we had the privilege of talking to small business owners across the state – bighearted people dedicated to providing for their...